Common Seat Belt Injuries (and What to Do if You’ve Suffered One in Mobile, Alabama)

If you get in a car accident, wearing a seat belt can save your life. Seat belt usage can also cause you injuries that you might not expect. You should still always wear a seat belt whenever you ride in a car, but in the event that you suffer an injury caused by a seat belt, you should understand your legal rights, options, and how to get compensation for your injuries after an accident.

Below, we’ll help to highlight some of the most common seat belt injuries and what to do after an accident.

Here’s What You Need to Know About Most Common Car Accident Seat Belt Related Injuries

Seat belt use protects you from most serious injury and from being ejected from the vehicle during a car accident. Unfortunately, the force a seat belt uses to keep your body in place can also cause serious external and internal injuries. (Again, the risk of sustaining a seatbelt injury should not stop you from wearing one.)

Most of the bruising and pain associated with a seat belt injury is categorized as “seat belt syndrome.” However, there are many different types of seat belt injuries. If you were in a car accident while wearing a seat belt, you may have suffered a seat belt injury such as:

Bruised Ribs

Because three-point harness seat belts (which are found in most motor vehicles) sits across the chest, it can cause bruised and fractured ribs in a crash. Although bruising your ribs does is certainly not as extreme as suffering fractured ribs, the pain is similar. If your side or ribs hurt after a car accident, get medical help to tell the difference and treat the pain.

Chest Pain and Sternum Injuries

After a forceful impact, the seat belt strap that goes across your chest can cause major internal injuries. By putting extreme pressure on your sternum, the bone in the center of your chest, your seat belt can potentially damage your heart and lungs behind it. In most low-speed crashes, the pain is mostly limited to soft-tissue damage. However, you’ll need a medical diagnosis to confirm your injury and get official care instructions.

Shoulder Injuries

The shoulder is a complex joint that’s vulnerable to damage during an auto accident—especially from seat belt impact. This type of seat belt injury occurs when the force of your seat belt during a motor vehicle accident tears tendons and muscle fibers in your shoulder, causing significant pain.

Soft tissue injuries in the shoulder can cause long-term discomfort and can take a long time to heal, so always follow your doctor’s orders after suffering this type of injury.

Abdominal Injuries

Lap seat belts are common in older cars and the middle seat of trucks. Because they don’t have the diagonal shoulder strap, lap belts can cause abdominal injuries, abdominal pain, long-term internal injuries, and internal organ damage. If your abdomen or “guts” hurt after an auto accident, go to the doctor right away.

Abrasions and Lacerations

Though many seat belt injuries are internal, there are external effects as well. Seat belts can cause you scrapes and cuts across your body and can even leave an imprint of your seat belt on your body. If not cleaned, dressed, and treated by a doctor, cuts and scrapes can quickly become infected, heal more slowly, and leave scars.

RELATED: How Long After an Accident Can You File a Personal Injury Claim in Alabama?

How to Get Compensation for Your Seat Belt Injuries

If you’ve never been in a car crash before, knowing what to do to protect your health, finances, and legal rights is understandably overwhelming. The Andy Citrin team is here to help.

If you’ve been in a crash, here’s what to do:

• Call first responders and get medical attention immediately. Even if you don’t feel that your injuries are serious, it is important to get assessed by a medical professional. If you’re worried about affording your medical care, remember that you can include any bills in your insurance claim.
• Call the police and make sure they make a police report. Having a record of your incident with your side of the story will only strengthen your case.
• Preserve the evidence. If it is safe to do so, take as many photos of the scene as possible. Detail is key when it comes to your personal injury case.
• Exchange information with the other driver. If you can, include driver’s licenses and insurance information.
• Contact the insurance company. After an accident, let the at-fault driver’s insurance company know there’s been a crash, and you’ll be submitting a claim. Don’t let them pressure you into submitting any official statements or compensation amounts before you’re ready, or before you’ve contacted an attorney.
• Call Andy Citrin Inury Attorneys for a free consultation. We are available to help you understand your rights, options, insurance claims process, and more. Simply fill out our form or give our office a call to schedule a free, no-risk meeting with a Mobile personal injury attorney.

If you’ve never been in a car crash before, knowing what to do to protect your health, finances, and legal rights is understandably overwhelming. The Andy Citrin team is here to help.

Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys Stands Up for People in Mobile and Across Alabama Who’ve Suffered Seat Belt Injuries

If you’ve been injured and need to file an insurance claim, the insurance company will do as much as they can to discredit your story, get you to settle for a too-low amount, and delay and deny your claim. When you hire a personal injury attorney who understands Alabama law, like the team from Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys, you can fight back against these tactics.

A Mobile personal injury lawyer from Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys is ready to help you:

• Calculate the true value of your case, which includes the cost of your medical bills (past and future), lost wages, emergency medical services, the cost of your medical equipment or medication, pain and suffering, and more
• Handle communications and negotiations with the insurance company, hospitals, and other players in your case—as well as the associated paperwork
• Investigate all possible sources of compensation, including your own insurance policies or a seat belt manufacturer who may have knowingly installed faulty seat belts in your vehicle
• Move quickly and decisively to protect any evidence in your case, such as witness testimony, surveillance footage, electronic logs from service vehicles, and more
• Understand your rights and options so you can make the best choice for your health, your family, and your future

When you hire a personal injury attorney who understands Alabama law, like the team from Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys, you can fight back against these tactics.

Our law firm has represented people just like you in Mobile and across the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast region, including Caylin, a nursing student who was sideswiped by a semi-truck. Our team fought for her, and Caylin took home a settlement that was five times the insurance company’s initial offer. We were proud to win for her, and we’re ready to win for you!

Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys Are Ready to Help After Your Car Accident

The experienced team at Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys has been helping injured people get fair compensation for their injuries for decades. Attorney Andy Citrin and his team are ready to handle all types of personal injury cases, including seat belt injuries, car accidents, truck accidents, and more. To schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys, please give us a call at 251-888-8888 or complete our online form.

References

Martin, H, Jennifer, C. (2021, September 5). Seat Belt Injuries. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470262/

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.